The Great Adventures of Slick Rick

Slick Rick, the London-born storyteller raised in the Bronx, made his solo debut with a cover as flamboyant as his rhymes. Dressed head to toe in red, he strikes a pose in front of a glowing night view of the Manhattan skyline, with his name blazing across the top in bold yellow letters.

The photography is credited to Glen E. Friedman, the photographer known for his punk and skateboarding pictures and for early Def Jam images. The cut-out figure set against the bright city turns Rick into a cartoon hero of his own stories, a fitting picture for a record built around narratives such as "Children's Story."

The Great Adventures of Slick Rick was released on 1 November 1988 on Def Jam. It is regarded as one of the great albums of rap's golden age, and "Children's Story" remains one of the best-known storytelling songs in hip-hop.